90 Restart question

Yes but the feeding and decay is what is producing the ammonia right? That's not what is eating the ammonia and converting it though the cycle to nitrate.

 

Yes the food decays and turns to ammonia the same as a fish would process it and turn it to ammonia. Either way it is coming into your system. You just have to have a sufficient amount of that bacteria to keep the ammonia showing as 0 along with the nitrites. If you don't continually add a source then the bacteria count won't build up.

 

I think what happens is that the first line bacteria consume food. Their waste is ammonia. The second line bacteria consume ammonia and their water is nitrite. The third line bacteria consume nitrite and their waste is nitrate. The food you add is to support the first line bacteria. When they are all in sufficient numbers, ammonia and nitrites will be consumed so efficiently they will be undetectable. A minor amount of food is required to start the chain and keep it going.

 

Any thoughts on when I should fire up the protein skimmer?

 

When the cycle is over.

 

The wait in the beginning is the toughest part. No one wants a tank that sits for a month or so with no livestock, but that's what needs to be done. Once this time period has passed, the fun begins. Patience my friend.

 

this is totally unrelated but why has md chosen to have an aiptasia as his avatar? that could be bad karma

 

LOL!!

I change it when my forum "status" changes. I don't know why. Probably because I get bored at work.

 

well, just sayin'

 

It will be gone as soon as i hit the next milestone. if not sooner.